—Vicksburg Heritage Walking Trail —

The Luckett Compound

The larger original house was constructed in 1830 and Dr. Thomas Jefferson Harper added the others buildings in 1840. The main building had the parlor and dining areas on the second floor and a ground level basement below, The bedrooms were in the adjacent building and the smallest building was Harper's medical office. After the fall of Vicksburg, Union troops used the compound for quarters.

Interesting. . .

In 1844, after many deaths, Dr. Harper and others including Jefferson Davis (future President of the Confederacy) formed the "Anti-Dueling Society". Davis said dueling was irrational and
immoral and sought to regulate it.

Cave Life
Many families trapped in the city during the Civil War siege dug caves into the hillsides where they would retreat from Union shelling. Over 500 caves were dug for shelters from basic to elaborate and fully furnished. Mary Ann Loughborough kept a diary about her life in a cave during the siege and it was published in 1864.

Tom Lewis attempted to initiate local efforts to preserve the forts and trenches in Vicksburg. He started petitions and escorted people around the battlefield to promote his efforts to preserve the historic area for future generations. Tom can be credited with starting the movement that



lead to the creation of the Vicksburg National Military Park.

"I endeavored by constant prayer to prepare myself for the sudden death I was almost certain awaited me. My heart stood still as we would hear the reports from the guns, and the rushing and fearful sound of the shell as it came toward us." (Mary Ann Loughborough, author of My Cave Life in Vicksburg)

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Show me all markers in:  Vicksburg, MS  |  Warren County  |  39180  |  Mississippi  |  United States of America

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Small Beginnings

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